Jerome (c. 345-420) was born in Dalmatia, or modern-day Croatia, of Christian parents. He went to Rome at the age of 12 to study Latin and Greek. He became a Christian at 19 and decided to move to Antioch. Here he lived in a cave and spent his time studying the Scriptures and learning Hebrew from a local rabbi. In 382 Pope Damasus called him to Rome to become a papal secretary and to undertake a new translation of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. He completed the work many years later from a monastery he oversaw in Bethlehem. His translation, known as the Latin Vulgate, became the official and authorized source text for the Roman Catholic Church.
